Pasadena is one of the most physically charming and historically entertaining areas in Los Angeles. It is a traditionally conservative, old-money (by California standards, anyway) community of leafy boulevards graced by large, craftsman-style homes fronted by emerald lawns and shaded by towering native oaks. The residential streets meander among lush green parks and reveal sudden, breathtaking glimpses of the purple San Gabriel Mountains towering to the east. It’s also where L Ron Hubbard switched from science fiction to scientology in the late 40s while he was sharing quarters with a rocket scientist and follower of Alistair Crowley, and where, in 1963, Eve Babitz played nude chess with Marcel Duchamp (in what is now the Pacific Asia Museum. On 1 January each year Pasadena is host to the Tournament of Roses parade, a fabulous spectacle of marching bands and floats, each of which must be made of natural materials and that take up to a year to build. After the parade, the best college football teams in the nation are matched in the Rose Bowl, the culminating event in the collegiate football season and occasionally a pretty good game.

The main drag, Colorado Boulevard (famously terrorised by the Little Old Lady from Pasadena in the Beach Boys song), bisects the old town, now one of the hottest shopping, dining, movie-going and bar-hopping locales in the area, following one of the most extensive urban revitalisations in California. Of course, some of that resulted in the predictable ratio of 2.3 Gaps for every six Starbucks – but there are enough eclectic eateries, independent bistros and chic boutiques to please the crowds that throng the sidewalks every night and at the weekends. The public art and alfresco dining in broad plazas, enclosed by restored brick structures turned into galleries and cafes make Old Town Pasadena a particularly appealing getaway for Angelenos and visitors. If you are looking for interesting bar talk, this is definitely the place to hang out. The California Institute of Technology is within staggering distance of Old Town and the bars are often abuzz with discussions of string theory or Bose-Einstein condensates, a refreshing change from the usual film industry gossip that permeate most of LA’s watering holes. Before Old Town was subjected to upmarket restoration, the late Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman used to frequent a strip joint where he would sketch the performers.

Just across the freeway, a block or two west from the Old Town district on Colorado, is the Norton Simon Museum, which houses seven centuries of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, including paintings by van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, and Fragonard. The museum also features an astounding collection of Buddhist sculpture from throughout Asia and a sculpture garden with works by Rodin. Half a dozen blocks or so east on Colorado and half a block north on North Los Robles Avenue is the Pacific Asia Museum. Artfully housed in a Chinese mansion built in 1929, it consists of six galleries surrounding a garden courtyard.

A few miles further east is the entrance to one of the most remarkable attractions anywhere in California – or anywhere else, for that matter: The Huntington is an oasis of art and culture set amid 150 acres of breathtaking gardens. The library features a vast collection of literary works, including an original Gutenberg Bible and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, on public display in a vast and magnificent hall, as well as meticulously maintained private collections, stored in temperature, humidity and light-protected vaults but available to scholars from around the world. Three art galleries showcase 18th and 19th century British and French masterpieces, including the ‘Blue Boy’ and ‘Pinkie.’ Fifteen gardens feature 14,000 species of plants. High tea is served daily in a light and airy space surrounded by windows on all sides that overlook gardens that seem to stretch endlessly into the distance. You must make a reservation. It is surprisingly affordable and the teas and cucumber and watercress sandwiches and various sweets are on a par with what you would expect at London’s finest hotels.

Just north of Pasadena in the foothills of the San Gabriels is Altadena. At the far eastern edge, tucked up against the mountain canyons and ridges, is NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (818 354 9314; www.jpl.nasa.gov). The JPL is mission control for the Mars Rovers and a dozen or so other unmanned space craft whizzing through the solar system and beyond. Remarkably, the JPL offers public tours, and for the cosmically minded, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In South Pasadena, a couple of dozen blocks down Fair Oaks from Old Town Pasadena, is the Rialto, one of the last remaining single-screen movie palaces in Los Angeles. Built in 1925, the interior is a blend of Spanish Baroque and Egyptian, the sort of exuberant, over-the-top design only found in old movie theatres (this was featured in The Player). It is highly recommended for anyone in search of an authentic cinematic time-travel experience.